Because I Don't Others To Forget The Price Of Freedom

I lost one of my dearest friends, Cpl. Mark D. Kidd, in January of this year.  I remember hearing about bracelets such as these from people that lived through the vietnam era.  I ordered my bracelet to act as a reminder to everyone that see's me wearing it that freedom is not free, and it is paid for in the lives of our men and women in arms.  My friend Mark paid the ultimate cost for freedom, and even though I know I will never forget him, I don't want others to as well. 

To Continue Honoring SGT Demmon As My Mother Once Did

My mother got the original bracelet in 65 or 66. Because, Sgt Demmon went MIA on my brother's birthday. She never took it off  until she passed away in 1986.  She did ask that I continue to wear it until he came home, and I promised I would. 

It was Stainless Steel, the black paint for the lettering have long wore off. I wore it up until last year, when I bent it badly after grabbing for something and the bracelet caught.  Given the age of my bracelet, I didn't want to bend it back, so I put put away and have been searching for someway to replace it. I feel incomplete without it, having wore it for so long.

For the Sympathy I Feel for Those Still MIA

The name I selected is that of my cousin. His Father is my God Father.

I served 20 years in the Air Force including the Viet Nam era. I did one year in Thailand, non combat, but remember vividly all the news of those actually in combat.

I have read many books on the period, but know you cannot really experience what went on unless you lived it.

I feel great sympathy for all those who died, but especially those still missing as there is no closure. I read this week were they have found and identified bodies from WW II and even WW I so there is still hope.

Lest We Forget Freedom Isn't Free

My Mother and I were driving into town one day behind a car whose back was almost completely covered in bumper stickers, and there was one in particular that made me want to resort to acts of road rage. I don't remember the exact wording (and I wouldn't repeat it if I could) but the basic idea was that our President is a miniature Hitler and all the soldiers who have died in the war on terrorism were nothing more than greedy murderers who only fought so that the US could steal innocent people's oil rights!

Now I don't have any close family in the Military, but I am a patriot and I love the people who make up my country. And I believe that God still has a plan for this nation. So when I read that bumper sticker it made me mad enough to spit nails. Because the only reason that the person who owned that car could have had the freedom to display such a dishonoring message was because of the brave men and women fought and gave their lives for that person's rights and freedoms. And whether the owner of that car realized it or not, they were dishonoring the only things that protect their rights to publicly trash their country's honor. So I started to look for a way I could show my support for our troops and my country without resorting to acts of violence (such as road rage) and I came across your website. I ordered a bracelet with the words "Lest We Forget" on it because if our country is to keep it's freedom we have to remember that our freedom isn't free.

Bridget

For Vietnam MIA Philip Mascari

Philip Mascari was my MIA when these bracelets came out the first time. That bracelet has long been broken and in my jewelry box in pieces.

Philip's parents Sal and Gene worked for my mother in her travel agency in NJ. We went through many dark days with them, but were always hopeful when Philip went missing. They were outside sales for our office. My mum put them on our IATA list so that they could get discounted travel when they went on missions to find him. Sadly, they never did though they did have hope. Other parents that had gone in the past on other trips and had reported a siting of him which in turn made them never give up, but sad to say, they never did bring Philip home.

He is always in my heart. I do believe to this day he is alive and somewhere over there ....whether by choice or being held I don't know ...........I pray for his return. But after all these years, I wonder if his return will ever happen, and if it did, how he would adjust to the world of today. A lot of things have changed since his capture ...but I will continue to pray for him and ask God to do what is best for him.

God Bless Philip Mascari and God Bless the U.S.A.

Suzy

For German Citizen Jens Schelbert Who Sacrificed Himself for America

I ordered my KIA bracelet for my friend Jens Schelbert. He will truly be missed. Jens didn't have to be in Iraq..he was born a German citizen, and came to the United States with his mom as a child. He enlisted in the Army and loved it very very much....so much that he stayed in and got his citizenship. He was so proud of it. Every young tanker that he ever worked with..and every NCO around him and above him respected him greatly. I do not know many men who are half as good as he was..and always will be. He truly had a kind and generous heart and totally gave of himself to everyone around him. Few are left whom are as great as he. I shall always miss you my dear friend...I have worn my bracelet everyday for you...and always think of you because of it..to remind me that you sacrificed what many Americans wont for their own country....themselves.

Auf Wiedersehen meine sanfte Seele

For Two Fallen Brothers

I ordered two bracelets for my boyfriend. About a month ago or so, he and I went to North Carolina for the home coming of the platoon he was in. (He was a marine and has made it out and home safely... Thank God.)

When we were there, one of the soldiers, whom had lost both of his legs and part of his left hand, had these bracelets on for his two fallen brothers. My boyfriend was touched by this and wanted them. I had to wait for one of the names to be listed, then I ordered them and had them shipped to his house as a surprise. It's a touching and memorial token.

All gave some, some gave all... and that I will never forget.

For Cpl. Todd Godwin

I found your site while I was still Iraq. I was going to buy a bracelet for Todd when I was still over there, but I never did. You see, Cpl Todd Godwin was a Marine with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines Scout Sniper Plt. I was the Navy Hospital Corpsman that was assigned to them. We were all en route back to Camp Fallujah on the 20th of July 2004 when our convoy was rocked by a massive IED. Todd was killed instantly, but as a young Navy Corpsman, you do your best and try to keep them alive.

During the rest of my deployment, we lost a total of 21 Marines and had countless wounded. I remember everyone of these young Marines, but Todd is the one that I took the hardest. I'm out now and have tried to put the stuff behind me. Since figured that I never will, I have finally accepted these losses, and purchased a bracelet with Todd's name. So I guess that's why it took me so long to get a bracelet.

Semper Fidelis,
Shawn

To Remind Me Why I am at the Air Force Academy

I ordered this bracelet, as a cadet at the Air Force Academy, to remind me of why I am here, and to let me never forget my friend, and all those that serve in harms way, all of those that I may lead upon graduation.

In Honor of Bennie Dexter

I went to high school with Bennie Dexter in Bend, OR. He was a couple of years ahead of me and I always thought he was a great guy, shy but friendly. When he was MIA I had a special spot in my heart throughout the years. I never took the opportunity to wear a bracelet at that time as I was attending college and raising a family. As the years have gone on I have never forgotten Bennie and feel that it is a privilege to wear one of these bracelets in honor of his service, commitment, sacrifice and memory.

Jean (Cecil)

To Continue to Support Our Service Men and Women

I got the Memorial Bracelets because the ones we had as teenagers were returned home in one way or the other and I just wanted to continue to support those who were not. One of the bracelets was for my mother and one for me.

I feel no matter how long it has been, we need to continue to support our service men and never ever forget them or what they did for us and their country. God Bless them all from all the past, present, and future wars! The bracelets are very nice and I know they were made with love and respect!

Thank You for your site. I hope that more people find it and continue to keep the memory of all service men and women alive!

For LT Long

Receiving the bracelets really brought a flood of emotion. I flew with each of those Airmen.

And, the day LT Long was shot down, I was supposed to be in the right seat. I was bumped by someone else. I knew how to fly. Things may have different, very different if I’d been able to get to a safer position.

Just another story behind a bracelet.

Russ

For Those Affected By 9-11

We did not know anyone who was lost on Sept. 11, 2001, but our hearts go out to them and their families. We are two people who will never forget, the memory of those brave people. We may just be a bunch of old bikers, but we will never forget!

To Honor the Service and Sacrifice of Cpl. Barton R. Humlhanz

I received the bracelet almost immediately after it shipped. I haven't taken it off my wrist since. I ordered the bracelet with the name Cpl. Barton R. Humlhanz, he was a very good friend of mine and I was sitting right next to him when we got hit and he died. My combat boots still bear the laces that contain his blood and I wanted a more obvious way to honor his service and sacrifice.

To Replace My Original POW Bracelet

I received my POW bracelet. I ordered one with the particular name of a Vietnam vet because I still have the original one that I got and wore for several years starting in 1971. Fred Holmes was the brother of a friend of mine. He is now listed on the Vietnam War Memorial in D.C. My family will be visiting DC in a few weeks with my daughter's 8th Grade class and I ordered the bracelet for her to wear when we visit the Wall. (I'll be wearing my original one.) She hasn't taken it off since it arrived. It should be more meaningful after we visit the Memorial. Also, her friends at school are seeing it and asking about it. Good for 8th graders to think about.

To Show Our Co-Worker That We Are There For Her

I work with several military personnel at Arkansas Children's Hospital. The reason we ordered the bracelets is because one of our co-worker's brother was one of the men killed in the helicopter crash in January in Iraq. We all wear the bracelet to show our respect for him, and to let her know that we care and that we are there for her not only with our mouth, but also with our hearts.

Bridgett

To Remember Lcpl. Frye as a Strong Marine Who Bravely Served Our Country

By the grace of God, my boyfriend, a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, has served three tours of duty in Iraq and has come home safely each time. I know he's one of the lucky ones. He's had very close calls, yet God delivered him safely back home.

I wanted a bracelet that would have meaning for me. Through a Marine Corps online board for wives, fiancées, and girlfriends, I met a young woman my age who also had a boyfriend in the Marines. However, he was called to a different home on 6 October 2005. Lcpl. Jason Frye is the name engraved on my bracelet. Lcpl. Frye was a strong Marine who bravely served our country. He gave his all, and he deserves to be recognized everyday for his efforts. The war has been fought for four years now, and I don't want anyone to forget about our men and women serving overseas. I want a daily reminder of the freedoms our military is protecting. I want people to ask me what my bracelet stands for, so I can proudly describe Lcpl. Frye and the sacrifices he's made for you and me. I am honored to wear such a bracelet.

God bless our troops.
Semper Fidelis.

Sarah

To Help Each Other Whenever we Can

I appreciate this bracelet. My boyfriend has two of your bracelets. He lost two good friends. One in Afghanistan and the other on Iraq. My boyfriend and I both enlisted in the army, we both have lost friends overseas and we also have friends and family still serving overseas right now.

We Support what you do by donating part of the proceeds to those who have lost a family member. I believe we are in this together and we should help each other whenever we can.

So No One Else Forgets Sgt. Hobbs

I ordered this to replace one that was lost while I was bodyboarding. I was deployed to OEF 5 with HHC 2/5 INF along with Sgt Hobbs. We had been there almost six months when he was killed, it was a shock because we thought we were on a pretty lucky streak. But I guess it ran out, and the next six weren't so nice to us. Maybe it was because he was the first soldier in a unit I was in killed, or because I worked with him several times. Once through an entire night loading a plane with equipment to be sent in advance...but I won't let him specifically be forgotten. Not that any other soldier is less important in any way. I just hope no one else forgets.

2/35 INF-Kirkuk, Iraq

To Mourn the Loss of My Friend

The reason I purchased these bracelets is because my best friend Tommy Vandling was killed by an IED on New Years Day. This was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through and am still going through. I wanted a way to honor him and have him with me at all times. These bracelets were the perfect solution.

I love Tommy so much and it is just hard to believe that he is gone. So these bracelets are a daily reminder that he is with all of us everyday. He laughs when we laugh, holds us when we cry, and loves us at all times.

Mourning the loss of my friend

Bobby

A Great Friend, Man and Soldier

2LT Torres and I went to college together. He graduated one
semester before I did and stayed on a while as a Gold Bar Recruiter. He
eventually left for school, as did I. I never saw him again after he
left. It was not until I was deployed that I had happened to get my
hands on a copy of The Army Times that I saw his name in the front
section where they list all KIAs. I cut that piece of paper out and
carry it in my wallet still today.

Richard was a great friend, man and Soldier. He will be missed by many.

Thanks for everything that you do to support us, and remember those that
have fallen.

God Bless

So They Don't Get Abandoned Again

I ordered a Memorial Bracelet because the site offered me a chance to get a name I wanted. I have never wanted a specific name before. This is the fourth bracelet I have worn, but I was looking to replace the one I had, and not abandon this man again. Below is an email I sent to a friend who would understand...I sent it the day I ordered the new bracelet, and took off the old one. THIS IS WHAT I WROTE TO MY FRIEND..... I thought that you might appreciate this story of what happened to me today. I have, for the past 14 years worn a POW/MIA bracelet with the name of LTC William L. Deane. I am not wearing it any more. It has over time gotten pretty badly scratched up and I have at various times polished it and buffed it to remove the nicks and such. Well, it got to the point that even I could barely read it and I know what it says. So I went on line to see if I could get another bracelet with the same man's name. I then planned on sending the bracelet to the wall, or having someone who was going there, take it. I found a not for profit site that engraves these types of bracelets and gives part of the purchase price to several non-profit organizations that support the families and victims of terror, POWs, Disabled Vets etc....it's hard to get a bracelet with a specific name. So I went to the site and tried to look up the name of the vet on my bracelet. He was not listed. After some moments of frustration and checking the name and such, I looked under a tab for KIA. There was his name. His status has been changed from POW to KIA...and he had come home! I sat here at my desk, in my classroom and wept. His remains, along with those of four people killed with him, were returned in 1996 and he was identified in 1999. I clicked on the dates and found a story and report on the circumstances of his disappearance and why they thought that he was a prisoner for so long. (He may have been so for a while.) None the less, He had been returned and identified, and his wife, Ingrid Deane, had gone with him to Arlington where he, together with the other four, was buried with full military honors. This was the third bracelet that I had worn. The first, William D. Ward came home in the early 70's and was also buried by his family, the second came home alive, and returned to his family. This one was the third. That's why I am not wearing the bracelet anymore. I am sending it to the Pentagon, where they have an office that deals with the returning of these bracelets to the families. I am sending this on to his wife. If they can't find her then it will go to the wall. So, now I have ordered another bracelet. SSG John T. Gallagher from Hamden, CT lost in Laos on Jan 05, 1968. He is unaccounted for. I may be wearing this one for a long time. You see, when you put on the bracelet you are suppose to take a vow to wear it till he or she comes home. They don't need to be abandoned again! I have been pretty lucky with the men on my bracelets. I can only hope that, like the other three, he too comes home. Best Wishes, Mack USA 1970-1976

For Tim Bodden, The Father That Never Knew About Me

I was on the net looking for anything that I could about Tim Bodden. I had been looking for any information about who he was and what he had done in Vietnam. I was able to find a lot of information about him.

When I was 2 days old I was adopted. That was 1965. Recently I was able to locate my birth mother and she told me who my father was. She told me that his name was Tim Bodden and that he was a Marine that left for Vietnam on a 2nd tour. I do not believe that he ever knew about me.

When I found out his name, I looked on the Internet to see if by any miracle there was anything about him. I was not prepared for what I found. There is so much about him and his unit, about how he died in Vietnam and about the search that his family did trying to determine if he was still alive or not. He was listed as deceased in 2000.

When I found Tim's war memorial page, there is a picture of him. I have 3 sons. My middle son is almost identical to him. In addition to this, my son is also a Marine. There is no doubt that he is the father that I never was able to know. But I have learned a lot more about him.

Have a nice day and Thank you for what you do!

Leona

To Relish the Tremendous Sacrifice Past and Present

Back when I was an intelligence officer not so long into the distant past, (6 months ago) I had a fellow LT who wore a bracelet for his Uncle that was a POW in the Vietnam War. I thought it was amazing way to cherish those who came before us and relish the tremendous sacrifice past and present.

The bracelet that I purchased was for a fellow Navy LT who was an OCS graduate with me in 2000. I went into the the Intelligence community and he went Spec Ops with the Navy Seals. During Operation Enduring Freedom we served together, he on the ground and I on the USS Abraham Lincoln. We didn't keep in contact on a regular basis, but we knew we were out together fighting the same fight. When I left the USS Abraham Lincoln and headed for the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington DC, he continued to battle on the arduous terrains of Afghanistan. As I presented briefs in the Pentagon, he continued to fight on the ground. One night a tremendous battle ensued and he was killed. I didn't find out until weeks later when I found a brief that mentioned the heroic actions of 8 Navy Seals and his name was a part of that list...in pure black and white. It was a surreal experience on so many accounts. Just a few years back we were training together and now he was gone.

Although I left the Navy after six years of service, I have not forgotten the sacrifice that the men and women in uniform make everyday. This bracelet acts as a reminder...although Mike died a noble cause, I will never forget his sacrifice, all the others that have fallen before and I will remind all those that see it on my wrist that they too should Never Forget.

Respectfully,

Edward

In Respect for the Vietnam Veterans Who Served Before Me

I ordered a bracelet because after 3 tours in Iraq, I developed a profound respect for the Vietnam Veterans who served before me. Moreover, I feel strongly that those who have served and given even more than the “ultimate sacrifice” (to me MIA is the only thing worse than KIA), must be remembered and accounted for. The final factor was that I found the name of someone from my hometown (a VERY small town in MN) who was still listed as “XX—Unaccounted for.”

I know his family and I had no idea that someone from my hometown was still listed as missing in Vietnam. That’s unacceptable. Not only do I plan to wear the bracelet, but I am going to ensure the town remembers him during Memorial and Veterans’ Day celebrations.

Very Respectfully,

Glen
Major, USAF